My Favorite Challah

How I make it

Making the dough

1. In a mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook, put the water, sugar and yeast.

2. Add the flour.

3. Add the oil and salt.

4. Knead on medium speed for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and even.

First rise

1. Shape the dough into a round and put it in a bowl to rise for 1 hour, or until it doubles in size.

Shaping

1. Punch the air out of the dough and divide it into four balls of about equal size. Each ball is one challah.

2. Divide each ball into four smaller balls, to get 16 small balls in all.

3. Flatten each small ball with a rolling pin and roll it into a rope, to get 16 ropes in all.

4. Take 4 ropes and braid them into a four-strand challah. Repeat until you have four challahs.

Second rise and baking

1. Place the four challahs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let rise a second time for about 45 minutes.

2. In the last 5 minutes of the second rise, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

3. Beat the egg with the tablespoon of water, brush it on each challah and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

4. Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden.

What I've learned

• I let the dough rise in a switched-off oven with a bowl of boiling water on the oven floor, for steam and warmth.